Two Greyhound Town - RVing Across America

Bonnet House

2013-06-18T07:00:00.000-05:00

The folks have been debating going to the Bonnet House. The Bonnet House is a house designed by Frederic Clay Bartlett, an American artist from Chicago. It is ranked high on the list of things to do in Fort Lauderdale. The folks did not know how interesting it really would be and the cost is $20 a person. Everything seems to cost $20 or more a person here. Mama noticed that on Father's Day that fathers get in free, so they decided to see if Dad would get in free. Yep, they didn't even ask if Dad was a father.

Construction began on the house in 1920 and took nearly 20 years to complete. The land was given to Frederic by his father-in-law, but then his wife died in 1925. In 1931, he married Evelyn Fortune Lilly. She lived to be 109. Her last visit to the house was in 1995 at the age of 107.

Bonnet House

The inside of the house is probably not what you would expect. The house has a courtyard in the middle. You must go outside to enter each room. Unfortunately, indoor photography is not allowed. Mama was able to take photos in the courtyard. Everything in the house and on the outside is how the couple left it. However, the TV and microwave that Evelyn used were removed to take the house back to the 30's and 40's era.

Door to the house and the tour guide.

Entering the courtyard.

Fountain in the center of the courtyard.

Outside of house in the courtyard.

Evelyn collected wooden animals.

Painting by Frederic

Flowers

Shell work done by Frederic

Ceiling in part of the courtyard. Painted by Frederic and Evelyn.

The inside is not glamorous, but it is nice. The couple liked to relax here and had other homes. They only came here in the winter.

Frederic had a stroke after being on his knees for days painting a floor at the age of 77. Mama said it was sad standing on his last piece of work and knowing that he was unable to speak or paint for the last three years of his life.

Desert plants

There were always two swans that lived here.

Lots of these guys running around.

Orchid House

Path to the beach. When the house was built, there were no trees blocking the view of the beach.

Mama said that there is a video of Evelyn talking about the home and she is 100 at the time. She looked like she was maybe 80.

Mama was surprised to learn that Ali Wentworth, wife of George Stephanopoulos, is the great, great grand-daughter of Frederic. That is what the tour guide said, but we couldn't find anything on the Internet to back that up. Mama thinks Ali is a hoot.

The folks enjoyed the tour and were very happy that it was only $20 instead of the normal $40. Mama says it was worth $20, but not so sure about the $40.

Joey,
The Greyhound Who Thinks That $20 That Dad Saved Should Be Spent On Him And No Dad, The Food You Bought Me Yesterday Does Not Count

Riding The Canals In A Water Taxi

2013-06-17T09:20:00.000-05:00

The folks spent Saturday taking a water taxi up and down canals. I think that would have been great fun, but no dogs were allowed. The cost is $20 a person and parking is $5. You can hop on and off the taxi all day long. There are ten stops along the way and you can even switch to a different route, if you want. Mama thought it was a little pricey, but it was a fun way to get around. The folks had to wake up the ticket person to buy their tickets. They could see him sleeping in the office. It must be a pretty boring job.

Waiting for the water taxi.

Mama was really surprised to learn that famous people live and have lived along the canal.

This was Dinah Shore's old house.


Andy Griffith used to live here. It is now owned by the Firestone Family.

Desi and Lucy lived here.

Sonny and Cher's starter home is located here, but Mama didn't get a picture of it.

The homes are really expensive. The taxes on some of the homes are $1,800 a day. That is what the boat captain said. It is just crazy that people have that much money, isn't it? Mama said she wouldn't like living on the canal because there is so much boat traffic. There is not much privacy and it probably gets loud at night with boaters.

Here are more photos from the trip.

They passed by several yachts. Some are owned by famous people.

The crew.

The folks got off the taxi and walked to the beach.

These trees bloom once a year. Mama can't remember the name, but she thinks they are pretty.

The folks ate lunch at a pirate themed restaurant. Mama will write a review on it later. They planned on eating dinner at another restaurant on the canal, but Mama was concerned they might have a problem finding a seat on the taxi. As the day went on, more and more people were wanting to ride and there were not enough seats, so those people had to wait until another taxi came by which is every 40 minutes. Mama was concerned that their wait could stretch into hours, so they opted to eat elsewhere. The folks rode the taxi from end to end and it took three hours. They got off at two stops. It was a long day and Mama came home tired.

Joey,
The Greyhound Who Spent His Weekend In Air Conditioning

Treat, Mama, Treat

2013-06-15T09:10:00.001-05:00

Scout asking for a treat.

Scout was begging for a treat this morning. Do you know why she really wanted it? She wanted me to move from the bed. Normally when we get treats, Scout takes the bed on the floor and I take the dinette bed. I fooled her today and stayed on the bed. BOL!

Poor Scout! BOL!

Joey,
The Greyhound Who Is Getting Smarter Every Day

"Will It Shoot Out?"

2013-06-13T08:32:00.001-05:00

Yesterday, I was out walking with Scout and Mama. Scout was right on my butt. Mama said "Scout, you better be careful!" Mama started laughing. When she stopped laughing, she told us about something that happened with Jack when she first adopted him. According to the story, Mama was visiting Grandma with Jack. Mama's nephew who was about eight at the time was visiting. We will call the nephew "N" to protect his privacy. BOL! N had never really been around dogs. He was fascinated by Jack. Mama took Jack out for a walk and N wanted to go along. N kept asking Mama all sorts of questions about Jack including his "bathroom habits". N kept walking directly behind Jack's butt. Mama kept telling N to give Jack room. Mama turned around and N was squatted down and his face was inches away from Jack's butt. Mama told him he better be careful because Jack might need to go to the bathroom. N said "Is it going to SHOOT OUT?" BOL! Poor Jack. He had to wait for N to leave before he could do his "business".

There isn't much going on here today. We had storms yesterday. We may have more today. The neighbors that ran over the frog have left. It is now just us and the people behind us. We can't figure out how many dogs they have. We see new ones almost every day. Mama thinks maybe the lady is a dog sitter or something. The couple is not very friendly, but we still say "hi" to them when we see them. Their black dog is big and he hates us. He tries to get at us whenever he is out. His people walk him on a flexi leash. Mama has a very strong dislike for flexi leashes. She says people don't have control over their dogs when they use them, especially big dogs.

Thanks to Bunny, my half sister, for telling us about the Blogger app. We didn't know there was one. We loaded it and Mama said she will try it. We are really behind in our apps. We just found out there is one for finding vets. It is really good if you travel. It is by IAMS - Vet 24/7. It is an Android app. We don't have a smart phone, but we have a tablet.

Joey,
The Greyhound Who Might Teach A Kid A Lesson If They Get To Close To His Butt

RIP Mr. Frog

2013-06-12T08:18:00.001-05:00

As you know, there are only a few of us living here. We have a neighbor one site over from us and a neighbor to the back of us. There was a huge frog that had been living under our rig. It looks like he decided to go for a hop around and ended up in the street. What are the odds that our neighbor would come home at that time and and run him over? Yep, he is flattened in the middle of the street. It is not a pretty sight, so no photos will be posted. He is covered in flies. I swear, you should see how fast the flies come out here. Our poop is covered in flies before Mama can even bag it. Anyway, we are sad the frog was killed. He was fun to watch.

My sister, Scout, being sassy.

Yesterday, Mama and I took a walk at noon time. We left Scout behind. We were having a grand time, but then I stepped on some burrs. Mama didn't realize that is what I had done. She kept asking me what was wrong. I didn't limp but I was walking really slow. When we got home, she took Scout out and when she came in, I was trying to pull the burrs out. Ouch! She said "Oh, you poor baby!" She removed the burrs and put some medicine on my paw. It is fine now. She did a quick search on Cheatgrass to be sure it wasn't that because a fellow blogger had huge problems with that and her dog. Cheatgrass looks different, so that is good.

This is what was in my foot. There were several burrs.

Our bully sticks arrived safely on Monday. Mama ordered us some huge bones, but we are not fond of them. Mama received her mail, too. She is waiting for her prescriptions and then that it is for now.

Mama cleaned out two cabinets and ended up throwing out a whole bag of garbage. She still feels like it is not organized because she still has two plastic bins of junk, but now she can put the laptop away at night in one of the cabinets instead of leaving it on the counter. Speaking of our laptop, its' days are limited. Our battery will not charge again. We had replaced the cord on the laptop earlier this year and that solved the problem for a few months. The cord allows us to work off of electricity but it will not charge the battery. That is the same thing the old cord did. The battery has been replaced twice. It is such a pain. It is several years old, so it is time to replace it. Mama just doesn't want to spend the money. She wants to replace the window shades in here first and hopes the laptop can hang on until Christmas. We have a tablet, but she finds it difficult to do much on it other than browsing and it seems to have trouble with our Wi-Fi at times.

We may get storms today and maybe some flooding. We are not worried because we don't expect it to be as bad as last Friday. Dad may have trouble getting home from work though due to possible flooding and the President is in town today.

Joey,
The Greyhound Who Is Upset With The Neighbors For Driving Over Mr. Frog

A Funny From The Past

2013-06-11T04:53:00.000-05:00

Mama likes to see what people are reading on our blog if it isn't the current days post. She normally knows what the post is about by the title, but the other day one came up that she didn't remember. She read it and started laughing. She said "Jack was so funny!" Today, is the second anniversary of Jack's death. Mama has been pretty sad because she still really misses him and he has been on her mind so much lately. Since I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for Jack, I thought it would be nice to re-visit the blog post that made Mama laugh last week as a small tribute to Jack, the founder of our blog.

FYI: For those of you who didn't know Jack, he was a huge TV fan. He couldn't watch Animal Planet or America's Funniest Home Videos alone because he would try and attack the TV. If a greyhound was on TV, he would whine. He loved Judge Judy. Scout and I don't watch TV, but we know when Judge Judy goes off, it is time for us to take a walk. BOL!

Joey,
The Greyhound Who Knows If It Wasn't For Jack, He And Scout Wouldn't Have Been Adopted Into This Home And Thus We Wouldn't Be On A HUGE Adventure.

Originally posted on October 28, 2010

GROUNDED

Jack and Scout

Jack and Scout reporting to you this morning.

Jack: We were grounded yesterday. NO TV!

Scout: Yep, grounded, no TV.

Jack: No People's Court, Judge Judy, The Talk, etc, etc.

Scout: I really don't care for TV much so it didn't bother me. There is a commercial I like though. It has a whale in it and I've been imitating his sounds which is driving Mama crazy! LOL Jack loves his TV though, so he was very upset that he couldn't watch it.

Jack: It's Scout's fault that we got in trouble.

Scout: You could have said "NO" Jack, but you didn't.

Jack: What did we do? Well, we got Mama up around 2 a.m. to go outside. That's not why we got in trouble though.

Scout: No, we do that a lot.

Jack: We got in trouble because we did zoomies around the yard. Mama told us to come in and we just ran circles around her.

Scout: It was so funny! Mama was standing out in the middle of the yard dressed in her jammies. Her arms were flapping and she kept yelling at us to get in the house. We just kept running circles around her.

Jack: Mama said it looked like she was a lion tamer in the circus.

Scout: It was a lot of fun, but Mama didn't think it was. She said "YOU'RE GROUNDED, NO TV!" I just laughed and said "whatever". It was worth loosing TV for a day.

Jack: So, yesterday, I missed all of my favorite shows. I hope I can catch up on Days Of Our Lives today because it was at a dramatic part when it ended on Tuesday.

Scout: I'm sure you didn't miss anything, Jack. That show moves slower than a turtle.

Jack: So, that's why we were grounded yesterday. We didn't get Mama up last night, so we are golden today.

Scout: Yeah, we are golden. LOL

Jack and Scout
The Ungrounded Greyhounds

The Beach

2013-06-10T09:53:00.001-05:00

Now, don't get excited. We didn't go to the beach, but the folks did. Mama said no dogs were allowed and it was too crowded anyway. They drove to Hugh Taylor Birch State Park because there is a tunnel that you walk through to get to the beach.

The tunnel that goes under the street and to the beach.

People enjoying the beach.

Mama said that it seemed much brighter in person than in these photos. The folks took these photos and headed down the street to find something to eat. They decided the walk was too far and decided to head back to the park. Mama wanted to walk the Hammock Trail. She thought it would have huge trees covering the trail like an umbrella. It was not.

She worried about snakes falling from the trees, so it wasn't very enjoyable. They both felt like bugs were crawling on them after getting off the trail. I think it would have been fun! Scout says she was happy to stay at home in the air conditioning.

The folks took another wrong turn and the next thing they knew, they were being asked for their passports. BOL! They turned into the port where you board cruise ships. Dad told the officer that he took a wrong turn and the officer said it happens all the time. Duh! There were no signs to say it wasn't a regular street. They took Dad's driver's license and held it until they turned around. I guess they wanted to make sure they didn't make a break for the cruise ship.

The folks ate some good food this weekend and we all know that makes Mama happy. She will update her blog on that later today.

There was a 20% chance of rain yesterday. We had four heavy downpours. I guess that is just the norm here. We were out walking twice when it happened, so we ducked under a porch for a while.

There are some ducks here that Scout really likes. She really had them on the run the other day, but Dad said that wasn't very nice. He is the "fun police" you know.

The ducks that Scout likes.

Scout watching the ducks. The ducks are near the top of the photo.

Everyone left yesterday but the guy who seems to live here permanently and then one motor home came in last night. The count if you are keeping track is now three of us staying in our section. Two of the cats seem to think they should live under our motor home. I think it makes life interesting, but Mama not so much.

Our regular mail and our bully sticks are supposed to be delivered today. Our paws are crossed.

Joey,
The Greyhound Who Is Memorized By Cats

....And Then The Rains Came

2013-06-09T06:33:00.003-05:00

The rain as seen from our window.

Friday morning started out sunny, but by noon the rains came. It rained hard and it lasted into the evening. Our satellite was knocked out. Mama didn't get nervous until the weather radio started going off saying there was flash flooding. We went outside when there was a break in the rain and we noticed part of the campground was flooding. Mama, of course, got nervous. Our area was fine, but the entrance was flooded. The field turned into a lake. The ditch along the side flooded. The people near us had a lot of standing water under their motor home. We ended up with over six inches of rain here. Dad worked in Miami on Friday and they ended up with 13.94"total. Mama called him and told him to avoid the side streets and Hwy 1 because those areas were flooded. He called and said he was going 2-3 mph, so he decided to get off the highway and onto the side streets. Mama was not happy with him. Later, she called him and he said he was getting on Hwy 1, she was really upset with him at that point. He ended up getting on I-95. It took him 3.5 hours to get home. He got home about 8:45 p.m.

Two cats hid under our motor home during the rains. Do you think that drove me crazy? Yes, it did! I checked on them every time we went outside.

Scout sleeps well on rainy days.

Yesterday, the folks set out to find the Super Target. It wasn't there. GPS said "you have arrived", but there was no Target. Mama decided they would just shop at Publix which is a grocery store. The one nearest to us is old and small, but they decided to try it next week. After they got back home, Mama looked at the Target website and found another location that was only five miles away. They went there on their way to dinner and found it! The street it is on has several restaurants and even a Walmart. They decided to try the Super Target next week since the lines seem to be shorter there than Walmart. Mama changed her Emeals to Super Target. She has been using her Walmart plan at Target, but decided to just switch to Target and see what the menus look like.

There is a lot of road construction around here and that causes our GPS to get confused. Mama and Dad have ended up on the toll road by accident four times. They are basically just circling around. The GPS is a source of a lot of arguments. Dad thinks he knows more than her (GPS) and Mama defends her.

Our mail didn't arrive on Friday. Well, it arrived after the office closed, so it couldn't be delivered. They tried to deliver it yesterday, but the office was closed. Mama rescheduled it for a Monday delivery. We hope it makes it.

We are back to four of us living in this section of the park. We had five yesterday, but one couple left. A camper is supposed to arrive sometime this weekend according to an envelop taped to the office window but they haven't made it yet.

Joey,
The Greyhound Who Is On Cat Patrol At All Times

The Sun Is Out!

2013-06-07T09:24:00.001-05:00

This is the first day that we have seen the sun since we arrived. We are anxious to see when the sun hits our windshield because even with our shades, it heats up some. It seems like wherever we go, we end up with the late afternoon sun in the windshield. We know we will not have that here because of where the sun is now. It will be interesting to see how the motor home heats up today. We are not totally thrilled with our air conditioning in this rig. We are trying different things to try and keep it cooler. The good thing here is that our electric is included in our rent, so we can run it as much as we need to without worrying about the cost. Dad doesn't worry, but Mama does.

The storms yesterday were not bad here. There were a few times that the wind blew hard, but we have been through that before. That doesn't mean that Mama wasn't a little nervous. She HATES storms and hates them more now that we are in a motor home.

We sat outside this morning. It is quite breezy, but that just helps it feel cooler.

I'm a happy guy

Scout is just being Scout. Mama calls here Eeyore.

This is our view.

What is that?

It's a CAT!

No one lives in this rig. Do you see the Tiki Hut? There is a blue tarp under it.

The red in the tree is our hummingbird feeder.

I see another CAT!

See him?

We do not have cable here. We are using our satellite. We kind of like that better because we have HBO, but if cable is available we use it because it is free. We use Dish Network because they have a month to month program for RVers. We just call them when we need it turned on. We could tell yesterday when the heavy rain was approaching us because the satellite would go out before the rain arrived.

This is our satellite. Isn't it cute?

We should be getting our mail today. We haven't received any for a month. Mama likes that we can have mail sent to us here. She ordered bully sticks yesterday and her prescriptions yesterday, so all that should be here next week. We should be set for a while.

Some of the reviews of this place said the office staff were rude. We have not encountered that yet. We have encounter much worse at other campgrounds. They answer the phone in French, but speak English also. I guess we will see how they treat Mama when she picks up the mail today. BOL! She said even if they are rude, it is not a big deal because she has very limited contact with them.

Two people moved out yesterday and one pulled in, so there are four of us total in this area. It just looks like the place is full because so many trailers are here all the time.

Joey,
The Greyhound Who Is Happy To Sit Outside Again

Tropical Storm Andrea

2013-06-06T08:49:00.000-05:00

When we found out we were coming to this area, Mama said "Oh, no, it will be hurricane season!" Everyone assured her that hurricanes don't really come this early. We are here for three days and we have a tropical storm! LOL Actually, the tropical storm is on the other gulf side, so we will not get the worst of it. We are just getting some of the rain. It hasn't been too bad yet. It rained heavy for about five minutes and then it just showered. It has stopped for now, but there will be more later. There was a tornado warning issued for our county, but not our area. Mama said we will go to the shower house if a tornado is in our area. Dogs are not allowed in there, but since no one else is around, we will hide in there during a tornado. She will not leave us behind.

We met a man yesterday while walking. It is so strange to see another human walking around here since almost every home is boarded up for the summer. He said he lives here year round and has been here for 20 years. He said there are English speaking people on both sides of him and that is it. He confirmed with us that it gets wild here during the winter. He enjoys the summers because it is so quiet.

The folks did their grocery shopping yesterday. Mama said this place reminds her of Houston because she is having a hard time finding a place to shop. Miss Becky, who she met in Houston, told her the best places to shop in Houston, but we have no one to tell us here. She and Dad waited in the check out line for 30 minutes yesterday and that was on a Wednesday morning. There were two people in front of them. The checkers moved slow in the store yesterday. She said she can't imagine going there on a Friday night. She is going to check out the Super Target this weekend. It is located about five miles from here. She has found that Super Targets normally do not have long lines. She prefers Walmart, but she can't handle waiting in line for that long.

Whenever we arrive in a new location, we have to learn the safe areas. We haven't really felt unsafe here. Mama gets nervous when she sees bars on windows and we stay out of those areas. LOL The places we felt the best were Arlington and Cleveland. We immediately found good shopping areas and good restaurants. We are still searching for that here. We are in an industrial area here so there is nothing within walking distance.

Two motor homes left yesterday and two moved in. One of the motor homes had a Great Dane. We didn't get to met him though. They are already gone. There is one guy who lives near us and it looks like he will be here a while and that is about it for our neighbors.

I really miss the squirrels. I am very interested in the cats. There are so many cats! However, I prefer squirrels. I have a feeling that this place is going to be boring since there are not any people or squirrels. I will have to focus on the cats.

Joey,
The Greyhound Who Misses His Yard In Texas

Wordless Wednesday 6/5/13

2013-06-05T14:25:00.001-05:00

Joey,
The Greyhound Who Knows How To Relax In Florida

Sunshine State?

2013-06-04T19:35:00.000-05:00

We watched the weather forecast for weeks before we came here and it showed nothing but rain. It continues to show nothing but rain in the forecast. Isn't Florida the Sunshine State? Actually, it has not rained that much on us, but it is cloudy. We have enjoyed taking walks when it is lightly raining. Tonight, our walk was very pleasant since it is cool out.

Mama took a lot of photos, but since it is cloudy, they are are not very pretty. Dad said it is a little eerie being here when no one else is here. We can only imagine how alive the place is when all the people come in October and stay the winter.

A look down the street into the vacant "village".

This is our yard. We have a palm tree.

Our home. The site next to us is vacant and may be our entire stay since it is blocked off. The people who own it, may not allow it to be rented out.

Cacti tree?

Flowers in a yard.

Cool driveway.

Nice sitting area. It is a in French, so not sure what it says.

Another pretty yard.

A lot of blooms on this one. We hope it blooms while we are here.

Many of the homes have their windows covered like this one does.

This is a pretty home.

Today, when we were throwing our trash in the dumpster, a cat came flying out. It scared us. BOL!

Mama is getting so clumsy. She got tangled in our leashes and landed on the grass. Dad was outside and he didn't even notice. She landed on her butt and was glad no one saw her. She didn't get hurt because she landed on the grass.

The folks drove around today to find Dad's work places. They have not seen a lot of restaurants. Mama said "This is definitely not Texas." She loves the food in Texas. Tomorrow, they will go grocery shopping and Dad will get his haircut. Thursday, Dad goes to work.

Joey,
The Greyhound Who Thinks Florida Is Okay So Far

We Are Here!

2013-06-03T19:25:00.002-05:00

We made it to our new destination. We are near Fort Lauderdale. Dad is going to work at two hotels this time. One is in Fort Lauderdale and the other is in Miami.

Our trip went well. We had three people try to cut us off all within a few minutes of each other, so that was a little scary. Dad slammed on the brakes once and the laptop went flying. It was closed and it didn't get hurt. Mama's soda ended up all over though. That sudden stop caused all our pantry items to knock against the cabinet door and we didn't notice it until we started bringing the slide out. The salad dressing got caught in the slide and squirted out. The can of baking spray started spraying. It took Dad a while to get those out from the slide because they fell to the floor and got stuck. That incident caused our cabinet to be damaged by the slide, so Dad will have to fix it. The hinge is messed up and now the cabinet will not shut. It happened to the previous owner because we noticed just the other day that the door had been repaired. Dad found a small football that belonged to the previous owners when he pulled out our salad dressing. BOL

Our park seems to be nice. We had a heck of a time finding a place that had good reviews and that would take dogs over 20 pounds. Most of the reviews were bad because the surrounding areas were not safe. We finally decided on this place and then Mama met a woman at the park in Arlington and they started talking about this area and she told Mama about this place. Mama told her we already made reservations here and the lady said we would not regret it. She said she had stayed here several times and it is the best place around. Mama felt much better after that. In the winter time, this park is full of French Canadians. Most of the signs here are in French. The park looks like it is full, but in fact, most of the homes are boarded up for the summer. They belong to the French Canadians. It is a little strange walking through a place that is full of homes, but they are vacant. We have seen maybe five people, two dogs and a heck of a lot of cats. One front porch is full of kittens. There are people living there with the cats.

We will take photos of the park tomorrow. Mama was too tired tonight. We walked all around the park. There are 40 acres and I guess since no one else is really here, we can walk wherever we want.

It is nice to be parked for a while again. Three days of driving is exhausting! I don't think we could do four days in a row.

Oh, almost forgot to mention that Mama's hand is fine. It is not even red. The burns on her arm hurt less and they left scars.

Joey,
The Greyhound Who Is In Florida For An Unknown Amount Of Time

Two Days Down, One To Go!

2013-06-02T17:57:00.001-05:00

We found the dog run area last night. It was really nice and big. Scout and I took a run in it this morning. We did two laps. The photos are from last night.

There is a swan that lives at the campground and she has a nest of eggs that she is trying to hatch. The sign told us to leave her alone.

Mama checked the radar as we are heading out this morning and she said "I think we are going to hit rain." Dad said "Open your eyes and look." Yep, the rain was headed right at us.

It rained for a while. We stopped at a rest area in the rain because we thought Scout needed to go, but she didn't. Oh, she walked and walked and walked. It turns out that Scout loves walking in the rain. I don't mind it either. Nope, no raincoats for us. We like getting wet.

It rained in Mississippi.

It was sunny when we hit Alabama.

And, of course, it was sunny when we hit the "Sunshine State".

We stopped at a rest area in Alabama and we were swarmed with kids. They loved us. One kid said I was his favorite. Scout usually is the favorite. I like kids because they are my height. One girl said we were the same age. She thought that was cool.

We lost an hour today since we are now in the Eastern Time Zone.

We wanted to stay at a park that has three fenced dog areas, but they wouldn't answer their phone, so we had to choose another place. This place is okay, but definitely not a place we would want to stay more than a night. The sites are very close together. They do not allow you to use your own washer/dryer. It probably has something to do with their septic system. They do have cable TV, so that is nice. The place last night did not.

Mama ordered Pizza Hut tonight. She was happy about that. Tomorrow night, she will probably fix dinner when we arrive at our new "home".

Any guesses on where we are headed? We are in Tallahassee, FL tonight.

Joey,
The Greyhound Who Slept Most Of The Day, But Is Still Tired

One Day Down, Two To Go

2013-06-01T17:36:00.001-05:00

Are you following our green line on the map? Mama has been updating it each time we stop for gas or a rest area. You can enlarge it if you click below that little man. There is a + sign. It makes it easier to see.

We were sad to leave Texas. We were happy to see Miss Woe and her Mom before we left. Mama left her a note with our blog address on it so that we could keep in touch. We really need to get business cards.

Our travel day was easy. The weather was good. Traffic was light. Oh, do you know what we saw today? Alligators that were roadkill! Yep, they were just on the side of the road....dead!

We stopped at a rest area that had drinking fountains for dogs. Louisiana knows how to treat us right.

We are staying at a park we stayed at last year. We are actually just two sites down from our old site. They say they have an enclosed dog park. We couldn't find it last year. We are going to check it out after we take a nap. We are tired.

Mama burned herself, again, while fixing dinner. She pulled out a microwave dish and the cheese spilled all over her hand. She screamed. I thought she was going to start crying. I was concerned because she said she might not be able to hold our leash. Dad said he would help her, but will he at 5 a.m.? She is feeling better after less than an hour, so I think she will be okay.

Joey,
The Greyhound Who Is Resting After A Long Day Of Driving

That's A Wrap!

2013-05-31T06:10:00.000-05:00

Well folks, our time in Texas is coming to an end. That's right, today is our last day in the Lone Star State. We have really enjoyed our stay here at Treetops RV Resort/Carefree. The staff here is so nice as are the residents. One of the workers drives a golf cart and he always gives us treats and loving. You should see all the dogs line up to see him. He is like the ice cream man for us. BOL

We loved napping in the yard...


....and chasing squirrels.

Our weather has been nice except for the night that we had to evacuate due to a tornado threat.

The folks enjoyed touring Southfork Ranch, Sixth Floor Museum (JFK) and the George W. Bush Presidential Library. Texas has great food and the folks enjoyed many restaurants. They found that some of their favorite restaurants were less than five minutes away.

Mama was able to walk to stores while staying here. She walked to the mall twice and Super Target was visited many times. Raising Cane's became a lunch stop on her way home from the mall.

We liked it so much here that we have considered it for our winter destination. However, they do get ice here, so that is a big drawback. We will have to think about it some more.

So, where are we headed next? Well, it will take us three, ten hour days of driving. It takes longer to drive in a motor home than in a car. Our stops take a little longer and our top speed is 65 mph and that doesn't happen very often. We thought it might be fun this time to let you guess where we are going by watching us on the map. We will update it each night to show you where we are for the night. Our travels will be marked with the green line, we think. If it is not green, we will let you know. We don't have control over the color.

Adiós for now.

Joey,
The Greyhound Who Is Preparing To Leave Texas For The Third Time

Cedar Hill State Park

2013-05-30T06:22:00.000-05:00

Sunday was family fun day as Mama calls it. We all hopped in the Jeep and went exploring. Our first stop was McDonalds. We had a few fries and they were delicious. Our next stop was Cedar Hill State Park. The state parks here charge admission. The fee is $7 a person, greyhounds are free. Mama was complaining about the fee, but then she realized that Texans don't pay state taxes, so the parks have to be maintained with money from somewhere. In Missouri, the parks are free, but residents pay state tax. We are now Texans, so we don't pay a state tax, so yes, it makes sense that we have to pay to get in. Mama would rather pay as you go instead of being charged a state tax.

Dad wanted to see the campground in case we ever come back to this area. It was quickly decided that we wouldn't want to camp there. They only cut the grass that is right next to the driveway of the sites. The rest of the area is very overgrown. Mama said "Can you imagine the bugs and snakes?" It actually made a nice park look run down. The park was full of campers.

We stopped at the Penn Farm Agricultural History Center which is located in the park. There are reconstructed and historic buildings from the mid 1800's to the mid 1900's. It was a very easy walk. We met several families and they were very interested in us. Mama showed them our tattoos which the kids thought were cool. We were celebrities.

The yellow flowers in the back are on a cactus. Mama refused to walk thru the flowers to get a close up photo.

A cool barn

"Let's go in!"

Mama said no to going in. She said there might be snakes. One of the people that lived there died of a rattlesnake bite and Mama kept reminding us of that.

Scout standing next to farming equipment. Vanna White, she is not. BOL

Kids were learning to whistle with a piece of grass and it drove me crazy.

Wild flowers

House built in 1880's. Mama didn't think it looked that old, but it does need a new roof.

We enjoyed our family fun day. We were so tired that per Mama's request, we didn't ask her to get out of bed until 6 a.m. on Monday.

Joey,
The Greyhound Who Loves Family Fun Days

George W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum

2013-05-29T07:00:00.000-05:00

Mama was very excited when she learned the George W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum would be open in time for her to visit while in Dallas. The folks have a goal to visit all the Presidential libraries and museums. They have been to the Dwight D. Eisenhower library in Abilene, KS and the George Bush library in College Station, TX. George W. Bush's library opened on May 1st of this year.

Mama read that it was best if she bought the tickets ahead of time, so after a struggle to get those because many times were sold out already, she secured them for May 25th at noon. The folks expected it to be crowded because they allow 350 people an hour inside. Mama said it was packed!

They waited in line for 15 minutes to go through security and then a few minutes to get their "43" stickers to show they belonged in the museum.

People leaving the library

It was so crowded that the folks were not able to really enjoy it. They could not get close to many things to read them. :-(

Quilt with front pages of newspapers showing headlines while we waited to find out if George W. Bush was the new President.

Florida Ballot - remember all the hanging chads?

President and Mrs. Bush

Baseball collection of the President

Dress Mrs. Bush wore at a State dinner just days before 9/11

After seeing the display with Mrs. Bush's dress, you enter a room that is darkened and it is all about 9/11.

Beams from the twin towers.

This lady wouldn't move as she was playing with her phone, so after waiting several moments, Mama just took the picture and now she is part of our blog. BOL!

These walls have the names of those killed on 9/11.

Screen showing different things that happened the week of 9/11.

Close up of some of the 9/11 victims.

Pens used by the President to sign documents.

Statues of Barney and Miss Beasley. They were dogs owned by the Bush Family

Painting of Mrs. Bush and her pups

Statue of Spot - another dog of the Bush family

The folks stood line line for 45 minutes to tour the Oval Office. The Oval Office is supposed to be an exact replica of how it looked when President Bush was in office. They were able to see other things along the way, but it was still a long wait.

Items from the Oval office

Rug in the Oval Office

The Oval Office

Ceiling in the Oval Office

Dog dish that was a gift to the Bush dogs. Mama thought we would like to see it.

This museum does not show anything about President Bush's childhood which Mama found odd. Maybe the President figured there was enough about his childhood in his Dad's museum. BOL!

Mama saw a statue that she meant to take a photo of when she went outside, but she forgot and they didn't pass by it when leaving. It was President Bush and his father, President Bush. She is still upset that she missed that photo opportunity.

There were several short films to watch, but the lines were just too long. The folks said they would like to go back in a few years when it is not so crowded.

Joey,
The Greyhound Who Wonders Why Museums Don't Allow Dogs

The Purple Invasion Continues

2013-05-28T12:31:00.001-05:00

Friday, was the folks wedding anniversary. They have been married 27 years. Mama said it makes her feel old. BOL!

They didn't celebrate much because Dad doesn't get home until after 7 p.m. They went grocery shopping and bought a cake. Saturday, they went out to dinner and then they went shopping for their present. What did they buy? Well, it is purple. Mama didn't think about it being purple until she got home and then she laughed.

Shark Navigator

Yep, it is a vacuum. BOL! Mama is happy about it even though women are not supposed to be given these things as gifts. Our old vacuum was a broom stick type and Mama had to empty it 3-4 times every time she cleaned. She complained every time she used it and even though she emptied it that much, it still didn't do a good job. She loves this one, so far. It has attachments and a cord that is long enough to cover the whole place. It also is very easy to change it from carpet to hardwood cleaning. She just pushes a button on the handle. She really likes that feature. She has emptied it twice, but it wasn't even half full each time. She just emptied it for the fun of it.

Scout and I do not like it. Scout almost when through the roof when Mama turned it on the first time.

We hope all our American friends had a nice three day weekend. We enjoyed spending time with the folks. We will write more about that later in the week.

We are sad to read that things are rough right now at Genji's Corner. Our thoughts are with them.

Mama is also very sad to hear that a childhood friend's husband died suddenly this morning. Mama will not be able to go home for the funeral, but she is sending many prayers and thoughts for the family.

Joey,
The Greyhound Whose House Continues To Be Invaded With Purple Things

Memorial Day 2013

2013-05-27T06:00:00.000-05:00

We are spending a relaxing day with our folks. We will update you on our weekend activities on Tuesday.

Joey and Scout
The Greyhounds Who Are Celebrating Memorial Day In The Lone Star State For The Second Year In A Row

Squirrels Are Nuts Here!

2013-05-23T12:53:00.002-05:00

I have decided that squirrels are more fun to watch than bunnies. Do bunnies climb trees and fly from branch to branch? Nope, but squirrels do. The other day, I was just laying in "my" yard and two squirrels almost ran over me. Mama said they have a death wish. I chased one up a tree and it started yelling at me. They are nuts, I say.

Here is one of those nutty creatures.

The campground keeps getting prettier and prettier. These people love their flowers.

Mama loves this rock garden. The lady spent all afternoon working on it.

The pansies won't make it long in the Texas heat, but they are pretty right now.

Scout says this is great picture of her, but I stuck my nose in it and ruined it.

We really like this park. The employees are very nice. They do something here that we have not experienced at other parks. If the electric goes out, they call to let you know. Okay, so you don't need to be called if you are at home, but if the folks are out sightseeing they will get a call and know that we are at home without air conditioning and they can rush home. We think it is a nice service.

I love my life!

Joey,
The Greyhound Who Loves His Life On The Road

Almost Wordless Wednesday - 5/22/2013

2013-05-22T06:20:00.001-05:00

"You can't hide from me, Mr. Squirrel!"

Joey,
The Greyhound Who Almost Got Run Over By Two Squirrels While Taking A Siesta

Goodwill Shopping

2013-05-21T12:33:00.003-05:00

When we were in Denver, Mama dropped a lid to a cooking pot that she has. The handle on the lid broke. Mama has been using it, but it is difficult to remove the lid from the pot when it is hot. Mama even burned her arm doing so. We were going to show you a photo of her arm, but decided that was not in good taste. She started out looking for a new lid, but no luck. She then decided to replace the pot and the lid. She really didn't want to spend $15, which is the price of a cheaper pot. Yes, Mama can be frugal. She asked Dad if a furniture knob would work. He said it probably would. Saturday night, they went to Goodwill and Mama found a lid. She knew the lid was going to be too small, but the handle would probably work.

Here is our old lid with a new handle.

How much did the new handle cost? $.50. Yep, just $.50. Mama is pretty proud of herself for holding out and saving money on the lid.

The folks also found a few other "treasures". Dad found the RV movie. He had mentioned that he would like to watch it again after visiting the RV museum in Amarillo. Mama found a brand new fanny pack. She has been wanting something to carry our things when we go hiking and this seems to be a good option right now. Yes, it is purple. We think Mama is developing a purple problem. We have a purple toaster, a purple cutting board and now a purple fanny pack. She also has two purple shirts.

All items were bought for $7.

Mama likes shopping at Goodwill because you never know what you will find. The one here is nice and the prices are good. The ones she found in Houston were really nice, but the prices are quite a bit more than at home.

Joey,
The Greyhound Who Benefits From Mama Being Frugal On HER Things

Six Floor Museum - JFK

2013-05-20T11:14:00.001-05:00

The folks visited the Six Floor Museum in Dallas. It was formerly known as the Texas School Book Depository and is where Lee Harvey Oswald fired the shots that killed President John F. Kennedy. There is still speculation that another shooter on the ground was involved.

Mama decided to arrive at 10 a.m. on Sunday when the museum opened thinking that it would not be crowded. She was wrong. They had to wait in line for about 15 minutes for tickets. There was also a very large group, so that added to the crowd. If they would have arrived an hour later, they would not have had to wait.

Every visitor is given an audio tour which Mama said made the visit very enjoyable. It directed you to each exhibit which was mainly photos and videos. It was narrated by a reporter that was there when the President was shot. The audio also provided audio from witnesses and other reporters. It was an excellent way to see the museum.

No photography was allowed in the museum which seems a little odd because there was nothing that could be damaged by a flash. The museum is different because you are actually in the room where the shots were fired. You cannot step in that spot because it is glassed off. They have put the book boxes where they would have been during the day of the shooting. You can stand at the next window and get almost the same view as the shooting. Visitors are allowed to visit the seventh floor and there you can stand at the window that is directly under the window where the shots were fired. Mama said when she looked out the window and saw where the President was shot (that is marked on the street), a police car went by. She said it was eerie to hear the sirens at the same time she was looking at the shooting site. Here is a link to a live camera that is in the shooter's perch.

The seventh floor has a large photos of JFK and Jackie Kennedy. Photography was allowed here.

This photo is made up of 50,000 small photos of Jackie.


Photos of Jackie on JFK's photo.

Jackie's photo is made up of 50,000 photos of JFK

This is from the seventh floor - one floor above where the shots were fired. The President was shot after he rounded this corner.

The Grassy Knoll where it is thought another shot was fired.

We placed a red dot next to the window where the shots were fired.

The "X" shows where one of the shots hit the President.

The folks really enjoyed seeing the museum, but it was sad. Mama highly recommends it to anyone who is planning a visit to Dallas.

Joey,
The Greyhound Who Didn't Get To Go To The Museum

Strange Sighting At Home Depot

2013-05-19T07:09:00.001-05:00

As some of you may know, dogs are allowed at some Home Depot. Mama has never taken us because she really doesn't think it is appropriate, but that is her own opinion. I think it would be fun to walk around and pee on the lumber. Yesterday, she was quite shocked to see these two dogs.

She spoke to the owner and he said they have been coming in since they were puppies. They are nine now. They had their comforter and water dish rolling around with them. It didn't look like the owner was actually shopping. He was just rolling them around the store and people think I am spoiled. BOL!

Joey,
The Greyhound Who Thinks He Needs To Check Out Home Depot